The present invention relates in general to support mechanisms for supporting items in a generally upright position, and more particularly, the present invention relates to a bendable bookend that is manufactured, shipped, stored, and displayed in a non-operating position as a substantially flat planar piece and that can be bent into an operating position by an end user to form a bookend having a base and a support member extending upwardly therefrom.
Many different designs of bookends are available for supporting items, such as books, on a substantially horizontal, planar surface, such as a shelf. One common type includes a single sheet of metal which is cut and bent to form an upstanding plate member, a base, and a tongue extending inwardly, parallel to the flat base. The base and tongue being at a right angle from the plate member so the tongue can lie on the shelf with the plate member standing therefrom. The end of a row of books is then placed upon the tongue and rests against the plate member. Such book ends are often stamped out of flat metal and bent during the manufacturing process to form the base and tongue and the upstanding plate member extending therefrom at a right angle. Since the base and tongue are rigid extensions perpendicular to the vertical side of the book end, such a book end tends to be bulky. These bulky formed-up bookends tend to take up a lot of storage and display space, and increase the volume and thus the cost for packaging and shipping the bookends.
Other known types of bookends include objects having a relatively low center of gravity and that include a flat base and a flat side against which the end book in a series of books is supported. Since this type of bookend does not have a tongue for books to rest upon and hold the bookend in place, such book ends must be of relatively heavy weight to hold books in an upright position. Again, this type of bookend is bulky and tends to take up a lot of storage and display space. In addition, the shape and weight of this type of bookend tend to increase the volume and weight of the bookends and thus the packaging and shipping costs.
Still another type of bookend is a bookend having a base and two or more upstanding plate members extending upward from the base at right angles to the base. For example, a corner type bookend typically includes a base, a side panel extending upward from the base at a right angle, and an end panel also extending upward from the base at a right angle and also at a right angle to the side panel. The end of a row of books is then placed upon the base and rests against the side panel and end panel. Such book ends are often stamped out of flat metal and folded into shape during the manufacturing process. Accordingly, these corner type bookends also tend to be bulky thereby requiring additional storage and display space and having increased packaging and shipping costs.
As can be seen, most conventional metal bookends are manufactured having a horizontal base and a vertical support member, wherein the support member extends upward from the base at a right angle which tends to make conventional bookends bulky. This creates several problems for manufactures and retailers of bookends. For example, bookends typically take up a lot of floor space at the manufacturer""s facilities after they are manufactured because of their rigid or formed shape (e.g., an inverted T-shaped body including a flat base with an upwardly extending support member, or alternatively, a corner type bookend). Also, these bulky, formed up bookends also increase shipping and packaging costs because of the increased volume and unused package space resulting again from the rigid shape of the formed bookend. In addition, bookends having a formed shape also take up a lot of storage space at retailers"" facilities and are generally not displayed because they occupy too much valuable shelf space.
Some convention bookends are manufactured as flat planar piece and then bend or folded to form a working bookend. In this regard, reference is made to U.S. Pat. No. 4,358,019, xe2x80x9cBook Endxe2x80x9d, issued to Garner, which discloses a one piece folding blank foldable to form a book end having side walls and a base of triangular form, the planes of the side walls and base being normal to each other. However, the bookend described and shown in Garner requires a plurality of bends to form the bookend thereby increasing the time and costs for manufacturing the bookend.
Also, Garner also requires that a pre-fold or fold line be formed in the material of the bookend to facilitate bending of the material during the forming process. This is typically of conventional bookends which are typically manufactured having a bend slot, or scoring, along the bend axis for the purpose of weakening the metal in this area to assist in the bending process. This weakening of the metal to facilitate the bending process increases the time and the cost to manufacture the bookend.
In addition, Garner also includes a cooperating interlocking means for releasably mating in the plane of the connection between the two side walls to secure the panels in position. This cooperating interlocking means also increases the time and cost of the manufacturing process.
Another conventional bookend formed by bending is U.S. Pat. No. 5,036,988, entitled xe2x80x9cBookend for Metal Shelvesxe2x80x9d, issued to Rouire. Rouire discloses a bookend for use on a metal shelf that is formed by bending a single sheet of metal to form an upstanding plate and flat tongue so that the tongue can lie on the metal shelf with the plate upstanding. However, in Rouire, the bookend is bent during the manufacturing process and does not have a non-operating position wherein the bookend material is stored, shipped, and displayed as a flat planar piece.
A problem with conventional foldable bookend is that is it is difficult to precisely and accurately fold the bookend to ensure the proper operating angle of the formed bookend. Fold lines or scoring of the base metal is typically performed to assist with the bending and to try and ensure the proper operating angle. However, forming a fold line or scoring the base metal tends to weaken the bookend in this area and can lead to premature or early failure of the bookend. In addition, a pre-fold or fold lines do not ensure that the folded bookend will have proper operating angle.
In addition, neither Garner nor Rouire has any type of stiffening structure or any formable gusset to help strengthen the formed up bookend and to help reinforce the final operating angle of the formed up bookend. Accordingly, these conventional bookends do not provide a means for accurately forming the operating angle of the formed up bookend and may not provide sufficient support throughout the full range of loads that the bookend may encounter.
There is a need, therefore, for an improved bookend for supporting items in a generally upright position on a horizontal surface. In particular, there is a need for a bendable bookend that is manufactured as a substantially flat planar piece so that it can be easily and inexpensively manufactured, stored, shipped, and displayed and that can later be bent to form a functioning formed up bookend that can be easily, precisely, and accurately bent into an operating position and that has sufficient strength and reinforcement to positively support a row of books in a generally upright position.
The present invention is directed to a bendable bookend for supporting items in a generally upright position on a substantially horizontal, planar surface. The bendable bookend of the present invention is manufactured, shipped, stored, and displayed as a substantially flat planar piece. Once the bendable bookend has been purchased by an end user, it can be bent to form a bookend having a base and an upwardly extending support member.
The bendable bookend of the present invention includes two positions or configurations. In a first non-operating position, the bookend is a substantially flat planar piece. The non-operating position is used for storing, shipping and displaying the bendable bookend. In a second, operating position, the bookend is bent to form a functioning bookend. The formed up or bent bookend includes a base, a tongue, and a support member extending upward from the base. In the operating position, the bendable bookend is used for supporting one or more items on a horizontal surface. Preferably, the base and the tongue engage the horizontal surface and the support member engages and supports one or more items in a generally upstanding position on the horizontal surface.
The bendable bookend in the non-operating position includes a substantially flat planar body. The substantially flat planar body includes a bottom end and a top end, a base, a tongue extending from the base in a direction toward top end, and a support member extending from the base in a direction toward the top end. The tongue and the support member are coplanar with a plane defined by the base. An opening is formed between and separates the support member and the tongue.
The bendable bookend in the operating position includes the base and the tongue extending from the base in a direction toward the top end. The tongue is coplanar with a plane defined by the base, and the base and the tongue are constructed to be in contact with a substantially horizontal surface. The support member extends upward from the base and an operating angle is formed between the tongue and the support member. The support member engages and supports one or more items in a generally upstanding position on the horizontal surface.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the bendable bookend can also include one or more stiffening structures extending from the base into the support member for reinforcing the operating angle of the bookend and for stiffening the bendable bookend in the operating position. Preferably, the one or more stiffening structures include two ribs, wherein each rib is disposed parallel to a side of the bookend.
In one embodiment of the present invention, each of the stiffening structures further comprises an upper rib portion and a lower rib portion. The upper rib portion is formed on the support member and the lower rib portion is formed on the base. The upper rib and the lower rib are formed in-line and parallel to a side of the bookend.
A gap can be formed between each of the upper rib portions and each of the lower rib portions. The gap allows the bendable bookend to be more easily folded from the non-operating position to the operating position and also helps ensure that the final operating angle of the formed up bookend is about 90 degrees.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the upper rib portion includes an angled bottom end and the lower rib portion includes an angled top end. In the operating position, the angled bottom end of the upper rib and the angled top end of the lower rib contact one another to form the operating angle between the tongue and the support member.
Preferably, the angled bottom end of the upper rib forms an angle of about 50 degrees up from the support member and the angled top end of the lower rib forms an angle of about 50 degrees up from the base. This helps ensure that the operating angle of the formed up bookend is about 90 degrees.
One or more formable gussets can be formed by the contact of the angled bottom end of the upper rib and the angled top end of the lower rib. Each gusset provides reinforcement of the operating angle of the formed up bookend.
The bendable bookend includes a bending axis along which the bendable bookend is bent. Preferably, the bend axis does not include a pre-fold, fold lines, scoring, or other weakening of the bookend material.
The bendable bookend is preferably made from a metallic material. The metallic material preferably is a ductile material and also has a memory to maintain its shape once it has been bent into the operating position.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a slot can be formed in the bookend for hanging and displaying the bookend. Preferably, the slot is an elongated slot formed in the support member proximate the top end.
A further embodiment within the scope of the present invention is directed to a method of manufacturing, shipping, storing, and displaying a bendable bookend in a non operating position as a substantially flat planar piece, and then bending the bendable bookend into an operating position as a coplanar base and tongue and an upwardly extending support member for supporting one or more items in a generally upright position on a horizontal surface. The method includes manufacturing a bookend in a non-operating position as a substantially flat planar piece, shipping the flat planar bookend to one of a point of resale and an end-user, and bending the flat planar piece to an operating position wherein the bookend is formed up having a base that is constricted to be disposed on a top surface of a flat surface and a support member extending upward from the base for supporting one or more books, or the like.
The method can also include storing the bendable bookend as the flat planar piece at one of a manufacturer""s and a retailer""s facility. Also, the method can include displaying the bendable bookend as the flat planar piece for sale to an end user.
Preferably, the method includes manually bending the bookend from the flat planar piece of the non-operating position into the coplanar base and tongue and upstanding support member of the operating position.
In a further embodiment of the present invention, the method includes forming one or more stiffening structures between the base and the support member along each side of the bookend to strengthen the formed up bookend. The method can also include forming one or more formable gussets at a bending axis of the bookend to reinforce an operating angle of the formed up bookend.
According to another aspect of the present invention, the method can include forming each of the stiffening structures as ribs having an angled end proximate the bending axis, wherein the angled ends contact one another in the formed up operating position to define an operating angle between the tongue and the support member. Preferably, the operating angle is formed having an angle of about 90 degrees. Preferably, the angled ends are formed having an angle of about 50 degrees up from a plane defined by the flat planar piece in order to help ensure that the final operating angle is about 90 degrees.